The series of fur-free announcements in recent years, from Hugo Boss, Armani, Yoox Net-a-Porter, and now Gucci, amounts to an unmistakable and hopefully irreversible trend in the fashion world. Photo by iStockphoto

In what is perhaps the most meaningful fur-free announcement worldwide to date, luxury fashion brand Gucci has proclaimed that its future is fur-free. After working with The HSUS and the Italian-based animal welfare group LAV (a member, with The HSUS, of the Fur Free Alliance), Gucci’s president and CEO Marco Bizzarri shared the news today during the 2017 Kering Talk at the London College of Fashion. The policy begins with the brand’s spring/summer 2018 collection.

In 2009, Gucci hosted me for a meeting with their senior leadership in Florence to discuss the use of fur in their products. At the time, I was greatly impressed by the company’s record of concern for social and ecological issues and its commitment to corporate social responsibility. To its credit, Gucci kept up the dialogue with us for eight years, and today, patience paid off. With this announcement, Gucci has signaled to the entire luxury fashion industry that it’s time to move away from using fur.

“Being socially responsible is one of Gucci’s core values, and we will continue to strive to do better for the environment and animals,” Bizarri said. “With the help of HSUS and LAV, Gucci is excited to take this next step and hopes it will help inspire innovation and raise awareness, changing the luxury fashion industry for the better.”

Gucci is owned by the luxury conglomerate Kering, which also owns the fashion brands Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, and the fur-free brand Stella McCartney, among others. Gucci remains Kering’s jewel in the crown, bringing in more than half of the company’s luxury sales at $4.7 billion last year. Gucci is also #47 on Forbes’ list of Most Valuable Brands in the World.

The series of fur-free announcements in recent years, from Hugo Boss, Armani, Yoox Net-a-Porter, and now Gucci, amounts to an unmistakable and hopefully irreversible trend in the fashion world. Luxury brands had been the biggest holdouts on fur policy, until recently.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that fashion brands, even in the luxury market, realize that today’s consumers just aren’t buying fur like past generations did. Take a look at the remake of the popular 1980s TV series “Dynasty”: though the original was full of fur, as New York Times recently pointed out in comparing the costumes between the original series and the remake, today, “the fur won’t fly.” That’s why “the creators and the costume designer decided together to be cruelty-free.”

Indeed, today’s consumers don’t find anything glamorous about killing and skinning animals for their fur, especially with the availability of faux fur options that mimic the look and feel of fur. Consumers don’t want any part of cruelty when they have functionally equivalent alternatives. They want to feel good about what they buy, and are more likely to support companies that are actively working to be more responsible. Gucci’s decision to tap into that sentiment is good for business and animals alike. It’s the march of progress in the humane economy.

Thank you for this wonderful news and thanks to you and Gucci for working hard with others to make this happen. And not only can we support The HSUS’s efforts on this, we all can personally email our favorite stores and let them know that fashion ripped off the backs of animals screaming in agony is not something we want to wear. Luxury indeed. Animal products are cruel, uncool, and bad karma.

Great news! We will continue to fight for this, and many other issues regarding the welfare of animals. For example petitioning cosmetic companies to be accountable as well. Animals share this planet with us, versus having power over them. We have a long way to go, but every
Step like this is,a success! 😁😁

I’ve worn a jacket from Fabulous Furs for nearly 30 years – when I have to ‘really’ get dressed up. I have always taken a very deep breath when I wear it though, because it looks so real. Nobody needs to kill animals for fashion! Good job Gucci.

Thank you Wayne Pacelle for educating Gucci and for Gucci listening. Hopefully leather will be next . I’m praying for an ethical vegan world sooner rather than later and I believe it’s going to be sooner.

Awesome news for animals! Being skinned alive or dead for skins/furs is horrific. The future is vegan plant based leather eg.. Like tesla cars are now utilising instead of animals skins. Be careful of faux fur as China are skinning dogs and cats alive for faux furs and fluffy items. China needs animal cruelty laws as they r the leaders of horrendous animal cruelty. Well done Gucci ! I hope all major fashion houses follow suit asap.

So glad designers are starting to finally figure out that FUR IS NOT POSH, IT IS NOT FASHIONABLE – IT MAKES THOSE WHO WEAR IT LOOK UGLY ON THE INSIDE AND OUT & ALSO MAKES THEM LOOK LIKE STUPID CRUEL DESPICABLE MORONS!

While I applaud Gucci’s decision, I have to wonder why it has taken them so long to grow a conscience. Is it because innocent and defenseless animals spend their entire lives in small wire cages only to die horrific and violent death so products can be made out of fur? No, that can’t be the reason because this has been occurring (with Gucci’s knowledge) for years. So why now? I can only guess that enough people have decided to boycott Gucci until they go fur free that the company actually decides to make a change. Too bad they didn’t spare countless animals years ago by making a compassionate and conscientious decision. Too bad it has taken this long for their profit margin to suffer enough that they are now willing to forgo the use of fur. Gucci: good decision but not one made because you care. Let’s be honest, it is purely profit. Case in point, Gucci isn’t even going fur free NOW…nope, they are waiting until the coat season ends. I will be sticking with companies that went fur free long before it was popular. I will be sticking with companies who made the change due to having an intact conscience.

The Humane Society of the United States is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions to The Humane Society of the United States are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The HSUS's tax identification number is 53-0225390.